Astounding Stories of Super-Science, June, 1930

In Short

This issue of Astounding Stories of Super-Science collects six fast-paced tales of futuristic peril, space travel, and monster encounters. From deep-sea investigations in the Pacific to interplanetary skirmishes on the moon and battles against subterranean beasts, these stories capture the energetic spirit of early twentieth-century pulp fiction. Readers are carried from dark oceanic trenches and remote South American jungles directly onto lunar plains. The collection remains a fascinating capsule of early American magazine science fiction, reflecting the era's fascination with rapid technological evolution, strange uncharted territories, and cosmic exploration.

The Story

The issue opens with C. D. Willard’s Out of the Dreadful Depths, following Robert Thorpe as he investigates a terrifying menace operating in the South Pacific. Ships are found drifting and utterly abandoned, their crews wiped out by a monstrous entity dragging vessels down into the deep. Working alongside Commander Brent and accompanied by Ruth Allaire, Thorpe boards the eerie, slime-covered hulks to uncover the truth. A naval battle ensues as the crew drops depth charges into the ocean, eventually forcing a grotesque, tentacled, one-eyed serpent to the surface. Under a barrage of warship gunfire, the beast is destroyed, leaving Thorpe and Ruth to recover from the nightmare as they head back to port.

In Murray Leinster’s Murder Madness, Charles Bell of the secret "Trade" journeys deep into the South American jungle. He seeks the mysterious Master, a villain using a insidious poison to control the continent. Aided by Paula, Bell flies an amphibian plane across dangerous terrain, dodging enemy aerial interception and fixing mechanical breakdowns under the sweltering jungle sun. Between encounters with corrupt local deputies and deadly native wildlife, Bell and Paula forge a tight bond while fighting to dismantle the Master’s expanding empire.

James P. Olsen’s The Cavern World takes reader Asher far beneath a dried-up oil field. Deep underground, Asher discovers the Petrolia, a swarm of horrific subterranean creatures, and confronts a ruthless rival named Krenski. Utilizing an advanced generator that harnesses earth pressure to emit destructive static energy rays, Asher battles both the monsters and Krenski in a high-stakes standoff to reach the surface cage.

Ray Cummings concludes Brigands of the Moon, where Gregg, Snap, and Anita defend precious radium-ore on the lunar surface against Martian bandits led by the villainous Miko. Besieged by electronic ray projectors and darkness-bombs, the Earthmen launch desperate attacks using flying platforms until a sudden explosion vents the enemy ship, killing the bandits inside. The arrival of an Earth police ship secures their ultimate victory.

Tom Curry’s Giants of the Ray sees adventurers Maget and Durkin cross paths with Professor Gurlone near a radium mine, where colossal, blind subterranean frogs and carnivorous polywogs burst from the earth to attack. Finally, Charles W. Diffin’s novel-length story, The Moon Master, follows aviator Jerry Foster and inventor Winslow across space to the moon. Trapped by a barbaric lunar race, Foster resists being sacrificed to their hypnotic god, Oong. Dressed in a sacred golden helmet, he uses matches and fire to scatter the superstitious moon-warriors, escaping up a crater shaft to reunite with Winslow.

The issue concludes with The Readers' Corner, a fan letter section where readers discuss their favorite authors, debate scientific principles, and share their enthusiasm for the growing genre.

How It Unfolds

A sea monster strikes Robert Thorpe boards silent, slime-slick ghost ships in the South Pacific, searching for traces of missing crews before a naval destroyer engages a massive, tentacled ocean monster with depth charges and gunfire.

Flight into the jungle Secret agent Bell pilots an amphibian aircraft deep into the Brazilian interior alongside Paula, navigating aerial dogfights and severe engine repairs to hunt down the shadowy Master's poison network.

War beneath the crust Deep inside a dried-up oil shaft, Asher uses a experimental helium-ray weapon powered by rock pressure to fend off swarming subterranean creatures and duel his rival Krenski in a clash of static charges.

Clash on the lunar ledge Gregg and his companions launch daring aerial platform sorties against Martian bandits besieging their radium site, holding out until the enemy vessel is breached and an Earth police ship arrives.

Beasts of the radium mine Maget fires blindly into the dark as a twenty-foot prehistoric frog and a ravenous polywog emerge from an underground mine, forcing the survivors to fight their way to safety.

Sacrifice to the moon god Jerry Foster hurtles to the moon, where he is captured by a barbaric subterranean cult, defies their hypnotic deity, and uses a torch and clever showmanship to ignite a retreat and escape up a crater shaft.

The People

• Robert Thorpe seeks to solve the mysterious disappearances of ships in the Pacific; faced with a nauseating deep-sea leviathan, he risks his life aboard ghost ships and emerges deeply shaken but protective of Ruth.
• Charles Bell wants to dismantle the Master’s criminal network across South America; challenged by brutal wilderness conditions and enemy aircraft, he evolves from a detached operative into a fiercely devoted protector of Paula.
• Paula wants to escape the Master's reach; constrained by isolation in the jungle, she proves a steady, resilient companion whose presence inspires Bell to fight onward.
• Asher wants to prove the utility of his earth-pressure power generator; trapped beneath the surface by the Petrolia and Krenski, he stands his ground in a deadly energy duel to secure his escape.
• Gregg wants to protect his crew's radium-ore from Martian bandits; despite horrific casualties and intense ray bombardments on the moon, he survives to see the arrival of Earth's rescue ship.
• Jerry Foster wants to explore the lunar landscape; captured by moon-dwelling cultists, he overcomes hypnotic paralysis through sheer willpower and uses basic technology like matches to orchestrate an escape.

In Its Own Voice

Thorpe boards an abandoned vessel in the Pacific and discovers the eerie, silent destruction left behind by an unknown ocean terror. "No radio man was waiting him there, nor even a body to show the loser of an unequal battle."

Trapped far underground, Asher realizes that his experimental weapons are the only defense against his human rival and swarming monsters. "Two deadly beams of electricity, holding each other off!"

Standing before a terrifying lunar deity, Jerry Foster fights off hypnotic control by clinging to his own identity. "I am," he heard his own voice shouting in strangled tones, "I am Jerry Foster! I am I ... I am myself!"

What It's Really About

Underneath its colorful pulp action, this issue reflects the anxieties and ambitions of the 1930s industrial era. The stories grapple with the dual nature of scientific discovery: modern inventions like radium rays, rock-pressure generators, and spacecraft offer immense power, yet they routinely unleash terrifying unintended consequences or fall into the hands of ruthless tyrants. The plotlines constantly contrast cold, clinical technology with the resilient human spirit, arguing that moral courage, quick thinking, and willpower are far more essential for survival than any machine. Additionally, the collection captures the fascination with exploring the remaining unknown frontiers of Earth—deep oceans and dense jungles—alongside the thrilling, untamed expanse of outer space.

Why Read It Today

This issue is a fascinating artifact for anyone curious about the roots of golden-age American science fiction. Reading it feels like stepping straight into a 1930s newsstand, full of high-energy prose, dramatic cliffhangers, and vibrant speculative ideas. The volume moves at a breakneck pace, delivering unpretentious narrative momentum across varied settings, from dark subterranean caverns to the sunlit surface of the moon.

Modern readers should be prepared for the specific conventions of early pulp writing. The language often leans heavily into dramatic melodrama, and the plot structures rely on swift action over quiet character development. Period attitudes toward foreign settings and simplified character tropes pop up throughout the jungle and space adventures. However, these elements offer an authentic look at how popular literature processed early twentieth-century technological leaps. Anyone who enjoys classic sci-fi, vintage adventure serials, or literary history will find this collection an entertaining, spirited window into an era when the universe felt wild, dangerous, and endlessly full of wonder.